Christopher Neil-Smith (1920–1995) was an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

priest who was vicar of St Saviour's

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

and is best known for his practice of

exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...

and his

parapsychological Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near ...

interests. Neil-Smith is credited with performing more than 3,000 exorcisms in Britain, starting in 1949. In 1972, the

Bishop of London A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

authorized him to exorcise

demons A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, anime, ...

according to his own judgement. Neil-Smith wrote ''Praying for Daylight: God Through Modern Eyes'', as well as ''The Exorcist and the Possessed'', in which he detailed his experiences with and beliefs about exorcism. In the latter, he claimed that evil should be treated as an actual force rather than an abstract idea. Appearing on radio and television programs, he became notable as an authority on the subject of exorcism when William Peter Blatty's ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty W ...

'' was released in 1970. According to biographer Trevor Beeson, the media coverage he gained "emphasized the more dramatic elements in his ministry, and encouraged him to extravagances which he later regretted." Neil-Smith died at the age of 75. He was married, and had two sons. The impact of Christopher Neil-Smith's ministry at St Saviour's Church was to bring issues most closely related to

deliverance ministry In Christianity, deliverance ministry refers to groups that perform practices and rituals to cleanse people of demons and evil spirits. This is done in order to address problems in their life deemed to be manifesting as a result of demonic presenc ...

to the fore, although there is some suggestion that not all his parishioners were entirely enamoured of a priest whose interests, by his own admission, led him for a time into spiritual excesses. A colleague of Neil-Smith, Jack Dover Wellman, vicar of Emmanuel Church, Hampstead was also an authority on the paranormal and upon exorcism, although with a greater emphasis upon Christian

spiritual healing Energy medicine is a branch of alternative medicine based on a pseudo-scientific belief that healers can channel "healing energy" into a patient and effect positive results. Practitioners use a number of names including various synonyms for m ...

. Dover Wellman appears to have taken a gentler approach to his ministry than Neil-Smith sometimes managed, and maintained that to be psychic was a gift from God which needed to be developed in strict conformity with the teachings of Christ. Following Neil-Smith's retirement, his former vicarage in Eton Road, Hampstead, was purchased by the

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

R.D. Laing Ronald David Laing (7 October 1927 – 23 August 1989), usually cited as R. D. Laing, was a Scottish psychiatrist who wrote extensively on mental illnessin particular, the experience of psychosis. Laing's views on the causes and treatment of ...

, who used it as his home and base for his practice for a number of years. According to biographers, Laing believed the house to be haunted, and performed an exorcism of his own there before taking up residence.Laing, A, (1997), ''R.D.Laing - A Life'', London, HarperCollins
- Clay, J, (1997), ''R.D. Laing - A Divided Self'', London, Sceptre

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neil-Smith, Christopher British exorcists 20th-century English Anglican priests 1920 births 1995 deaths

See also

References